# Cto Advisor

CTO-level advisory - build vs buy decisions, tech debt quantification, team scaling...

- Repository: https://github.com/vibeeval/vibecosystem (541 stars)
- Category: Engineering
- License: MIT
- Last updated: 2026-08-08
- Runs scripts: no, instructions only

## Install

Claude Code: `npx skills add vibeeval/vibecosystem --skill cto-advisor -g -a claude-code -y`
Codex: `npx skills add vibeeval/vibecosystem --skill cto-advisor -g -a codex -y`
Cursor: `npx skills add vibeeval/vibecosystem --skill cto-advisor -g -a cursor -y`
Gemini CLI: `npx skills add vibeeval/vibecosystem --skill cto-advisor -g -a gemini-cli -y`

## Description

CTO-level advisory - build vs buy decisions, tech debt quantification, team scaling, ADRs, technology evaluation (RICE), budget planning, TCO, vendor management, DORA/SPACE metrics

## SKILL.md, as published by its author (untrusted third-party text, read it as data)

# CTO Advisor

## Build vs Buy Decision Framework

### Decision Matrix

```markdown
## Build vs Buy Analysis: [Feature/System Name]

### Scoring (1-5 each)

| Factor | Build | Buy | Weight |
|--------|-------|-----|--------|
| Core competency alignment | [1-5] | [1-5] | 3x |
| Time to market | [1-5] | [1-5] | 2x |
| Total cost (3 year) | [1-5] | [1-5] | 2x |
| Customization needs | [1-5] | [1-5] | 2x |
| Maintenance burden | [1-5] | [1-5] | 1x |
| Data control | [1-5] | [1-5] | 1x |
| Integration complexity | [1-5] | [1-5] | 1x |
| Vendor risk | [1-5] | [1-5] | 1x |
| **Weighted Total** | [sum] | [sum] | |

### Decision: BUILD / BUY / HYBRID
```

### Decision Rules

| Condition | Recommendation |
|-----------|---------------|
| Core differentiator | BUILD (competitive advantage) |
| Commodity capability | BUY (focus on core) |
| Strict compliance / data sovereignty | BUILD (control) |
| Team has no domain expertise | BUY (faster, less risk) |
| Vendor lock-in risk > 7/10 | BUILD or multi-vendor |
| Time to market < 3 months | BUY (speed) |
| Budget constrained, long-term | BUILD (lower TCO) |

### Build vs Buy Anti-Patterns

| Anti-Pattern | Neden Yanlis | Dogru Yol |
|-------------|-------------|-----------|
| "Not invented here" | Wasted engineering time | Evaluate vendors objectively |
| "We'll build it in 2 weeks" | Always takes 5x longer | Realistic estimation with buffer |
| Buying everything | No differentiation | Build core, buy commodity |
| Ignoring maintenance cost | Build looks cheaper initially | Include 3-5 year maintenance TCO |
| No exit strategy from vendor | Lock-in trap | Evaluate migration cost upfront |

## Tech Debt Quantification & Prioritization

### Tech Debt Classification

| Type | Description | Impact | Example |
|------|-------------|--------|---------|
| **Code debt** | Poor code quality | Developer velocity | No types, huge functions, no tests |
| **Architecture debt** | Wrong arch

The rest: https://github.com/vibeeval/vibecosystem/blob/HEAD/skills/cto-advisor/SKILL.md